The PlayStation 4 will be able to play PlayStation 5 games remotely

Well, isn't this a nice little surprise? This morning some PlayStation 4 owners are reporting the sudden and unexpected arrival of a new PS5 Remote Play" app. While the app doesn't do much yet (the PS5 isn't out yet, after all), it seems meant to let you keep a PlayStation 5 in one room and stream it to (and control it from) a PlayStation 4 in another.

Now, that's not quite the same as actually having another PS5 in that second room; Remote Play tends to introduce a little bit of lag into the mix, so you probably won't want to turn to it for twitchy games where every millisecond counts. But given that last-gen's console tends to eventually find itself gathering dust or tucked into another room as a wildly overpowered Blu-ray/Netflix player, this is a pretty great way to extend the PS4's lifespan. IGN spotted the app this morning, and it appears to be rolling out to users in batches

Sony hasn't said much about how it'll all work, so there are still plenty of questions to be had about compatibility - will all games work, or just some? Will PS4 controllers work on PS5 games via Remote Play, whereas Sony has otherwise said they'll only work on the PS5 when playing backwards compatible PS4 titles? An FAQ on the PlayStation blog does confirm that it's meant for playing PS5 games on the PS4, but doesn't go any deeper than that:

We're updating PS4's Remote Play feature. Now, in addition to being able to access your PS4 from a PC or a mobile device, your PS4 can access other consoles via Remote Play too, right on your TV. This includes the ability to connect to your PS5 and stream a PS5 game to your PS4 so you can play it there.

Sony also notes that Remote Play will now support multiple remote users simultaneously, allowing you to play local multiplayer games with friends who aren't actually, you know, local.

Review: Sony's PlayStation 5 is here, but next-generation gaming is still on its way